Gigabits from Google?

PRINCETON — Within hours of learning that Google plans to launch an experiment to make Internet access better and faster by testing ultra-high-speed broadband networks in one or more locations across the country, Princeton Municipal Light Department Manager Jonathan Fitch fired off an application.

“I started getting emails on the morning of Feb. 10 from residents in the community about Google’s experiment,” said Fitch. “By 5 p.m. that day, after spending about three hours online filling out an application, I submitted it to Google.”

Google will build and test broadband networks in a small number of locations, claiming it can deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections.

Google plans to offer the service at competitive prices to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people. It has issued a request for information to help identify interested communities, welcoming responses from local government and the public. Google wants to assess local factors that will impact efficiency and speed of its deployment, such as level of community support, local resources, weather conditions, approved construction methods and local regulatory issues. It is accepting applications until March 26.

“Because we’ve addressed all of these issues, it would more than likely help expedite the process,” said Fitch. “Hopefully being one of the first to apply will count for something. I applied as a government agency.

“We are currently underserved,” said Fitch. Only about 30 percent of the town’s 1,400 households get DSL through Verizon and about 300 customers of PMLD get service through its broadband system. Of the 41 municipal light departments in the state, only two others are in the same situation with limited broadband access. “But we own the infrastructure that could support fiber to the home,” said Fitch. “Not many communities have the control of the wires and poles as we do.”

He said the only option for cable service in Princeton is satellite. Google would provide telephone, including video, voice over IP, cable and Internet service.

PMLD has approximately 2,500 utility poles over 35 square miles and 78 miles of roadway. Most of the utility distribution system is overhead with some underground service.

Fitch said the town would allow connection to the PMLD poles at no cost to help expedite it to make it easy and most cost-effective to install.

“The overall theme of our application was, we are a friendly community that would make it easy for Google to install the system,” Fitch said. “We’d probably have to hold public hearings but PMLD would take the lead as a project champion for the project.”

Google plans to announce a target community or target communities this year.